First lady Michelle Obama and Dynasty Meade of Friendship Charter Elementary School in Washington, D.C., plant broccoli in the White House Kitchen Garden on April 2, 2014. / Susan Walsh AP

by Maria Puente, USA TODAY

by Maria Puente, USA TODAY

Slowly, spring is beginning to show in Washington, D.C., so today it was time for first lady Michelle Obama and her little gardening pals to plant the White House kitchen garden.

It's the sixth year for one of Obama's signature projects, now famous around the world and part of her healthy-eating campaign. As usual the first lady was a well-dressed gardener, in shades of charcoal and black jeans, top and windbreaker jacket.

This year, she and a clutch of schoolchildren from local Washington schools planted their usual fruits and vegetables, but also a "pollinator garden," one with flowers meant to attract bees and butterflies who then help pollinate the plants.

She joked that her daughters, Malia and Sasha, are not too fond of bees, but bees are actually a good thing, she said. Millions of them are disappearing and no one is too sure why, she told the kids according to the White House transcript, but it could eventually affect food sources.

"It could affect our ability to continue to grow things, and that would be a problem," she explained. "So this garden is going to help to contribute to improving that problem."

So they set to work planting edibles such as collard greens, onions, strawberries, raspberries and even a fruit tree called a paw paw tree.

They were joined by a team of FoodCorps members, part of the nationwide program that teaches children about healthy food, how it grows, and where it comes from.

Also there were the White House chefs and kitchen staff, who use the produce from the garden.

"They are so invested in this garden, because they use the garden every day," Obama said. "They pull things out of that garden every day, they put it on our plates and we eat it for dinner and they serve it at big state dinners."